Broadcast wrap-up: South vs. Central (Round 3)

I spent a long day at Target Center to scope out the place, tape a post-season show with Kevin Anderson and Tony Geer and land interviews with the back-to-back class 4A state champions: St. Paul Central.

The show went well. I stumbled here and there, but it was minimal. I haven't looked at the tape, but going in, I figured I wouldn't be perfect having never done a talk show before. Mixing it with the post-game interviews will be interesting because we stated on air that the 3A and 4A games hadn't taken place yet. I am starting to feel more comfortable being the on-air talent though. I guess two years of that pressure will calm you if you can handle it.

I don't need to say much about Central-South: Round 3. Tony Geer, who was with me for games 1 and 2, said no team would win all three games. He reiterated this after the Twin Cities game. Having studied the game for 20 years, Tony saw something other experts may have missed. The title game demonstrated who was the better coach; Willie Taylor was calm even when his team was down by nine midway through the 2nd. Ahmil Jihad was more high-strung, and their styles reflected on their respective teams. Taylor mixed things up and South could not respond, which didn't surprise me. Central kept Hill to 9 points, the only time this season Hill scored below 10 (her previous season low was 15).

With the restrictions given by channel 45's exclusive coverage, I couldn't shoot any game video. I wished I could have been more productive, but given the situation, I feel that we did as much as we could. At the start of the season, I would have NEVER thought I'd be at Target Center. I met a lot of new faces, including Lea B. Olsen, one of 45's commentators. I was fascinated by how easy it was to obtain a press pass. I had a lot of fun and would gladly do it again. This will be something I never forget.

Next TV Game: All-Star Series sponsored by Minnesota Girls Basketball Coaches Association, a branch of the Minnesota State High School League.
April 20th at Schoenecker Arena, University of St. Thomas

Broadcast preview: Central vs. South (round 3)

The rubber match for the Central-South series. Yes, South won both games, but it won't matter to them if they don't beat Central a third time. We saw DeLaSalle go 3-0 against Minnehaha Academy, so anything is possible.

You might be wondering why I'm posting a broadcast preview blog since channel 45 has the rights to televise. I'm going to tape a post-game show at Target Center Saturday and get post-game interviews of the 4A final to intersperse with the show. It's the first time I've covered a state tournament and the first time I will have stepped inside Target Center in eight years (the Wolves were still good back then). I'm excited and nervous; I never thought doing play-by-play for a couple years would lead me to the state tournament.

Kiara Buford had nine turnovers, but made up for it at the free throw line as she put up 24. Theairra Taylor caught fire today, even going a perfect 10-10 from the line. Not bad for a 65% free throw shooter. I hope the folks at Marquette teach Georgie Jones how to use her legs, she's a player you can actually afford to put on the line. Ugh. Central played their A-game in their two wins. I wouldn't be surprised if they try to double team Tayler Hill again. Hill cracked a bit in game 2 when Central doubled her up. Central must convert their short range shots and repeat their free throw performance at the Eastview game to win.

Speaking of Hill, what hasn't she been honored for yet? South suffered from two slow starts, although Hill made sure they didn't finish that way. Of her 49 points in the tournament games, 33 have come in the 2nd half. Taquoia Hammick put up a dozen against Chaska, making her case as one of the most improved players this year. Hammick didn't take advantage of easy looks last year. With a deep bench, you can't rely on them getting on foul trouble. ANYONE on the first or second string can be a play maker.

Both teams will continue their aggressive pursuit of one another; they hit hard and fast. Should be fun. Most experts picked South to win it all, but some don't think they can win three times against Central.

QUICK HITS

1. Tayler Hill hasn't scored less than 15 points all season. Don't expect her to bow out now. She scored 58 points in games 1 and 2.

2. Jones put up a double-double in 13 of her last 14 games, but had trouble against South in game 2. Jones shot just 33% from the floor.

3. Kiara Buford shot 9 of 14 free throws in games 1 and 2, just over 60%. Buford is an 83% free throw shooter. She did lead all Central players in total points in their two games with South.

4. Tyisha Smith had 14 steals in games 1 and 2, just under Central's TEAM total of 16. Shows you the difference Angel Robinson made for Central last year.

5. Central will be playing for their fourth state championship in school history, South has yet to win their 1st.

By the way, Centennial is still ranked above Central by MaxPreps.com. The Cougars are #2 and the Minutemen are #3. Was Centennial that good?

Look for the wrap-up show on YouTube and SPNN channel 15 in the coming days.

Heerrrrrrrrrre's Miss Basketball!

Well, not quite yet. But they did release the finalists for the 2008 Miss Basketball award:

Courtney Boylan - Chaska
Kiara Buford - St. Paul Central
Briana Mastey - Becker
Kamille Wahlin - Crookston
Brittnye McSparron - Eastview

Here's some more info.

McSparron averages 20+ pts. per game, led the tough Lake League in scoring while Eastview made their way to the state tournament.

Wahlin has no stats posted on Maxpreps, but her team finished 28-1, including a win over last year's AAA champ Becker.

Speaking of Becker, Mastey led the Mississippi Eight conference in scoring and finished 2nd in rebounding. The future Gopher was a key factor in securing last year's title over DeLaSalle. Ironically, she finished in the same positions in both scoring and rebounds in the Mississippi Eight. Mastey was the only Becker player to average above double digits in scoring the last two years.

Buford is Central's pure shooter and will help the Gophers in an area they need help with. She did make her mark at Central though. Her individual stats aren't eye-popping with Central's balanced attack (16.7 pts per game), but don't overlook this woman. She's shooting 83% from the free throw line this season, an 11% improvement from last year. If her free throws don't get you, her long-range shot will. Had little problem taking a leadership role this season.

Boylan is bound for Michigan and also comes from the Lake conference. She's second in the Lake for scoring (20 pts per game) and helped Chaska rally to beat Kennedy in their section final.

WHO GETS IT?

I'm not an expert with this, but the winners are very accomplished, two of the last three breaking some statistical record (Angel Robinson for all-time steals, Katie Ohm for all-time points). You won't see that this season, but they're all well-qualified.

Stats alone don't tell the story, but if Mastey didn't play for Becker, they wouldn't have won last year or even have a chance at state this year (the same could be said for McSparron and Boylan). Central likely would have won the title last year without Buford and would still be talented this year had she not been there. Mastey may have an edge for these reasons.

Barring some unseen tragedy, next year's selection won't be too hard.

Spoken like an elder stateswoman

That's how John Millea of the Star Tribune summed up his most recent interview with Tayler Hill, who was named their 2008 player of the year (surprise surprise).

I've been wondering if Tayler is growing sick of seeing her picture flash on the Jumbotron for the CGI starting lineups I use. Keystone Productions televised five South games and she was highlighted in all of them. Yeah, she's that good.

If she is getting annoyed, she only has to put up with me one more year :-p. I never get to hear comments about my job performance or overall production quality from the players themselves, but I'll save that for the end of the season.

Click here to read the story

Willie Taylor always liked being the boss

St. Paul Central head coach Willie Taylor says that and more in a chat with the Pioneer Press' Bob Sansevere. But don't take my word for it, check it out.

Don't spit them out

Here are the class AAAA seeds for the state tournament:

1. Minneapolis South
2. Eastview
3. St. Paul Central
4. Osseo
5. Chaska
6. St. Cloud Tech
7. St. Francis
8. Owatonna

At least all their games will be played at Target Center, so they won't be bounced around from one arena to another, although I think they should have them play at Williams Arena at least once. I know, I'm a Gopher. A friend of mine who went to state a few years ago said Williams is a scarier place to play than Target Center because of the raised floor.

South will no doubt be the heavy favorite. They resemble last year's Central team in a lot of ways: South's roster is filled with versatile players that can shoot, drive and play defense. Their bench is deep and can contribute right away. South executes the full-court press well and have a go-to player in Tayler Hill to top it all off. Osseo is ranked in the top 10, but South has gone toe-to-toe with the best and probably will march unscathed to the final.

Central had a scare against White Bear Lake before coasting against Woodbury. Given their weaker section, their 2nd game against South was that more important for the tournament. St. Cloud Tech had a low strength of schedule as Kevin Anderson points out. Central does have an advantage over everyone else by playing against Long Beach Poly, who are ranked among the top schools in the nation. Where was that game? Target Center. Central won't have to adjust like everyone else. If Central beats St. Cloud Tech, they'll likely have Eastview waiting for them. Central can earn the chance to win back-to-back titles, but they need to play their A-game throughout.

Recent history doesn't bode well for South if they play Central a third time. Osseo beat Centennial on their third try and Michigan State did the same to Minnesota in the Big Ten tournament. On that note, there could be a similar situation in class AAA with DeLaSalle and Minnehaha Academy. DeLaSalle won both times, but only by a combined nine points.

There will be more uncertainty compared to last year, and that will only make the tournament more fun.

St. Paul sectional results (and thoughts)

For those who thought Centennial and Hopkins would be going to the big dance, it's not happening. Centennial is a bridesmaid once again after being upset by Osseo. I guess that is what happens when you don't play a lot of tough teams and face a team three times in one season. Hopkins was defeated by South tonight.

Central will also return to state with a 60-30 win over Woodbury tonight. Kiara Buford and Megan Howard are now the first two Central players to go to state during their entire high school career.

Like last year, Central will be the only St. Paul team in the tournament as Johnson got knocked out by Minnehaha Academy 80-69. Minnehaha had a nine-point lead at the half.

The St. Paul City Conference pretty much echoed last year's performance where it was Central and "everybody else." The difference was the strength of other conference teams. Johnson fared much stronger and will have a lot to build on for next season, complemented by what will be a weaker Central team next year. Humboldt needs someone over 6'0" to make them a threat. Highland Park has to find a way to hang with the stronger teams while continuing to beat the weaker ones.

St. Paul does have potential for surprise showings next season. However, I'll remind everyone that high school basketball games are just games and shouldn't be taken as life-or-death situations.

There's still a long way to go before everyone in section AAAA will be seeded, but the Centennial loss will shake things up a bit.

Knights in rusty armor (0-19)

As expected, Harding got destroyed by Minnehaha Academy 88-35, thus sealing their first winless season in school history. This happens just one year after finishing at the bottom of the St. Paul City Conference for the first time in school history.

This was once a team that could battle with the greats in the state. Powered by Shannon Loeblein and head coach Tom Gunderson, now at Central, Harding finished second in the 1990 and 1991 class AA state championship (they expanded to four classes in 1997).

Gunderson was replaced by Jerry Utecht, who hasn't fielded many talented teams since his tenure began in 1994. I was a Harding student the last time the lady Knights had a competitive team, in the 2003-04 season. Since then, Harding has become a doormat that everyone else can stomp on. One of my partners and I joked on the phone that we could beat them with one hand tied behind our back shooting just threes. The players don't put their hands up to take away open looks and appear lethargic overall.

Some former Harding players say Utecht doesn't do enough to make his team competitive. If you go by his record, you might win that argument. On the other end, you need solid players to contribute. Harding doesn't have that either. There is little incentive to step up your game when you play in a mostly empty gym.

I could continue to gripe, but anyone can do that. I understand high school sports are extracurricular activities and wins alone should not define the experience. However, I think the student athletes would enjoy the sport if they felt like they had a chance to win. Harding needs to find people who want to play and are willing to improve their skills throughout a season. A coach or assistant coach that could mold potential into talent would also benefit Harding.

Finishing a season without a win in a low-respected conference does have a psychological effect. Performance does come in cycles, but Harding may have reached the point where no one cares about the state of girls basketball on the far East Side of St. Paul. The bright side? Harding can't do any worse next season.

About time Humboldt got seeded

You know it's a stretch when a sub .500 team gets the #3 seed in section 4AA, but that's exactly what happened to Humboldt. In fact, a lot of .sub 500 teams got high seeds. Despite finishing the season at 10-11, Humboldt went 3-1 against teams in the east division. The only loss was to Roosevelt, and they trailed by just one going into halftime on the road.

My big concern is Humboldt playing just 21 games. They do get the same amount of rest as everyone else, but with other teams playing the maximum 26, stamina may be an issue. The Hawks have no one above 5'10", and that could spell trouble if they have to face opponents above 6'0". Humboldt's preparation may determine the outcome. They hung in there against Highland Park and the 2nd match against Johnson, but hurt themselves with a late loss to Como Park.

Should Humboldt beat St. Bernard's, they would likely face Minneapolis Roosevelt again, who face a struggling Mounds Park Academy team in round 1. The bad news is, they would have to play at Roosevelt again.

For the record, the #1 seed in the east, St. Croix Lutheran, got blown away by Roosevelt and barely hung on against #4 St. Paul Academy this season. They got #1 thanks to their record, but don't be surprised if this team gets upset in sections.

On the west division, Jordan got the #1 seed at 23-2. Their only two games against section opponents were both wins: a blowout against Blake and a sound win over Roosevelt fueled by a strong 2nd half (Jordan trailed by three at halftime in that game). Jordan looks like they will go unchallenged in the west with the #2 seed, Blake, finishing just one game over .500.

Whoever wins the east division may just be playing for 2nd place in sections. It will take a lot to stand in Jordan's way to the state tournament.

Humboldt prediction: They beat St. Bernard's in the 1st round, possibly upset Roosevelt. If that happens, a lot will depend on what happens to St. Croix Lutheran in the 2nd round. The Hawks would have to be consistent, something we haven't seen all year. Humboldt gets knocked out in the 2nd round.

Broadcast wrap-up: South vs. Central (round 2)

I stumbled a couple times today, although I have to watch the tape, but Tony and I picked up where we left off. Engaging in our usual and often descriptive banter, we saw a much better game than the first time. For the record, South won 82-73, but both teams played as if it was a one-possession game throughout. Had a few more easy looks gone in for Central, the result could have been a lot different. I think the stumbles will fade, and they have as I've called more games. Next season will be challenge me to learn about mechanics.

I did like that both coaches and players stayed aggressive even when the game was over. They both knew that sections were coming up and were doing everything they could to tune up their players one last time. South is in a tough section with Wayzata, Armstrong and Hopkins and will need everything they can get to challenge those teams. One thing in South's favor is the ability to win games without their starting five. They won two when Tayler Hill was out and had the same success when Hammick had to sit. Today, when Gabrielle Roberts didn't take the floor. If South gets in foul trouble, they can go deep.

For the curious, Hill scored 31 points, only the third time this season she has eclipsed 30 in a game.

Central has a weaker section. As long as they don't get conceited, the Minutemen can use the section games to work on any mistakes that plagued them in the past. They showed no intimidation this time, a sign that they're ready to play against the stronger teams in the state. Megan Howard scored 19 points and will likely eclipse 1,000 before the state tournament. If Central qualifies, Buford and Howard will be the only two Central players in school history to play in the state tournament throughout their high school career.

I had a lot of fun this season. My goals for next year are:

1. Find a solid partner I can rely on for most games.

2. Cover a bigger group of teams (We televised South 5 times, Central 4 times)

3. Study the mechanics. I know it's not required for play-by-play, but just in case I call another solo game.

I'll be involved in some aspect of the state tournament, but you won't see me doing play-by-play until the All-Star Series. Until then, I'll fill my NCAA tournament bracket and enjoy a much needed break.

Humboldt section seed blog to come.